The Solapur Division of Central Railway successfully dismantled a 103-year-old Road Over Bridge at Solapur Yard in just 12 hours 45 minutes. The operation improved safety, boosted capacity and ensured minimal disruption to key passenger trains
Solapur division dismantles 103-year-old ROB
The Solapur Division of Central Railway successfully carried out a 13-hour and 30-minute special traffic block on December 14 to dismantle a 103-year-old Road Over Bridge (ROB) at Solapur Yard. Solapur Railways demonstrated meticulous planning, strong inter-agency coordination and a passenger-centric approach.
As per the release, decommissioning of old structures tends to throw up surprises – as this ROB did. Still, the Division was able to conclude the work in 12 hrs 45 min and open the complete Solapur yard for normal operations.
Overview of the special traffic block
The 19.7-metre-long ROB, constructed in 1922, had become structurally vulnerable and was severely restricting railway operations. Despite unexpected challenges typically associated with dismantling century-old structures, the Division completed the work 12 hours and 45 minutes ahead of schedule, allowing full restoration of train operations at Solapur Yard.
The dismantling work was carried out by the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) in close coordination with Indian Railways, ensuring the protection of critical railway infrastructure throughout the operation.
All key stakeholders, including the people's representatives, the municipal commissioner, the police commissioner and other state authorities, were briefed about this exercise through briefings and necessary arrangements. State government officials, appreciating the need for early dismantling of the ROB, extended their full cooperation to the Solapur Division.
Need of dismantling the old ROB
The ROB structure has reached the end of its life, and also it had put a 19.7 m noose on railway lines, severely impacting Solapur, which forced Solapur yard to not be able to handle speeds more than 15 kmph and necessitated the stoppage of all trains.
Solapur serves the Mumbai-Chennai leg of Indian Railways’ golden quadrilateral – this ROB had adversely impacted the full utilisation of the capacity augmentation of IR’s GQ.
The Solapur Division of the Central Railways also highlighted that the track could not be maintained to required standards, as the height between rails and ROB was limited.
With petroleum loading set to double through IOCL siding at Pakni, near Solapur, this clearance started to affect confidence in moving inflammable cargo under this ROB. Furthermore, this ROB put limitations on economically carrying out Ro-Ro services from Bale towards the South Western Railway.
Trains operated with minimal impact
Train services were largely unaffected due to strategic planning. Key trains, including Vande Bharat Express, Karnataka Express, Siddheshwar Express and Mumbai–Chennai superfast services, operated with minimal disruption.
Furthermore, help desks were set up at major stations, and alternative arrangements such as state transport buses and onboard catering were provided where required.
To ensure transparency and passenger preparedness, the general public was well informed in advance about traffic disruptions, diversions, short terminations and originations, rescheduling and regulations through detailed press releases, social media platforms, official railway apps, route maps and SMS alerts.
Execution of shadow blocks
Additionally, the Division optimally utilised the block period to execute 21 shadow blocks across the Solapur–Wadi section, carrying out essential maintenance works and reducing the need for future traffic interruptions.
The successful execution of this complex operation underscores Solapur Division’s commitment to infrastructure modernisation, safety and seamless passenger services.
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